Christian Ponder struggled in his first visit to Lambeau Field this season. / Benny Sieu, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Davis and Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Davis and Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

There were concerns about the inexperience of the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback heading into tonight's NFC wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers.

But nothing like this.

Second-year starter Christian Ponder was surprisingly rendered inactive by the sore throwing elbow and triceps that limited him in practice all week. Backup Joe Webb will make his first start of the season in Ponder's stead.

Ponder, Webb and No. 3 quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson were among the first Vikings on the Lambeau Field turf for warm-ups at about 5:15 p.m. ET.

Ponder made about a dozen throws roughly 10-15 yards in length with no obvious signs of pain but then spoke with a small group of Vikings officials before exiting the field. The other two quarterbacks continued playing catch while offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave focused on helping Webb warm up.

"He did everything he could," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said of Ponder during a pregame interview with NBC's Michele Tafoya. "He made a little bit more progress.

"But at the end of the workout, we just felt like it wouldn't be the wise thing to do (to play Ponder). So we decided to go with Joe, give Christian a little bit more time, get him ready for next week."

Tom Pelissero of Minnesota's 1500ESPN.com reported Ponder is dealing with bursitis in the joint. NFL Network's Albert Breer says Ponder, who started 16 games for the first time this season and had elbow issues at Florida State, is coping with "fatigue" in his passing arm.

Ponder had an uneven sophomore season - his pair of ugly interceptions cost the Vikings dearly in their loss at Lambeau last month - but he stepped up his play in Minnesota's season-ending four-game winning streak. He matched his career high with three touchdown passes in last week's playoff-clinching win against Green Bay.

Webb, a sixth-round draft choice in 2010, may be best known as the man who took over shortly after Brett Favre's record streak of 297 starts was snapped late in the 2010 season. Webb, who's split his NFL career between quarterback and wideout, has a stronger arm and more athleticism than Ponder and could be a problematic matchup for a Packers defense that likely hasn't gameplanned for him. But he also hasn't started a game since 2011, didn't throw a pass this season and would obviously be a bigger X-factor than Ponder, though neither player has ever started a playoff game.

Webb played in seven games in 2011, completing 34 passes for 376 yards. He threw two touchdowns and rushed for three others last season. He made two starts for injured Favre as a rookie and memorably led an upset over the heavily favored Philadelphia Eagles at snowswept Lincoln Financial Field when weather dictated a rare Tuesday night game in Week 16 of the 2010 season.

Frazier said Webb received plenty of practice reps as Ponder watched during the week and professed confidence in the backup.